TVSquad

(S08E14) File this one under be careful what you wish for ... I feel like Rod Serling writing that, but there was a bit of a Twilight Zone feel to this episode of Monk. It was Monk in an alternate universe, only it looked like the same place we'd been to before. Same with Natalie. More on how things were the same, but different, after the jump.

The boys of 62 Truck are finally calling it quits. According to TVGuide.com, Tommy, Lou, Franco and the rest of the Rescue Me crew have fought their last fire, polished the rig one final time, and will hang up their boots for good in 2011.

Details on how it'll end, who might be back, and a preview of this Tuesday's season five finale are after the jump.

Unlike Jack Bauer, Kiefer Sutherland doesn't throw any punches. Literally.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sutherland was in attendance at an NYC club this past Monday night when fashion designer Jack McCollough "rudely bumped" into actress Brooke Shields while she was speaking with Sutherland. After McCollough refused to apologize - wait for it - Sutherland headbutted him!

Normally, this wouldn't be that big a deal. Celebrity makes a boo-boo, money exchanges hands out of court, problem solved. However, fans of 24 may recall that during production of the FOX drama's seventh season, Sutherland was busted for drunk driving. He served 48 days in jail but it never interfered with production because the writer's strike halted it.

Look at him! American hero turned rogue black-ops bad-ass turned American hero again. Carlos Bernard has taken Tony Almeida around the block more than once on FOX's tick-tocking drama 24. Despite the fact that he "died" in season five, Bernard has made one thing clear during Tony's "resurrection" on the show's seventh season - you can't keep a good man down.

I had the chance to speak to Bernard last week. Lots of scoop on the remainder of the current season, some info on the soul-patch era, and the one thing that everyone is dying to know - where's Tony's Cubs mug?

FX is calling it the final act. Not the last season or the final season. Nothing jarring like "the end." The final act sounds more Shakespearean than Shield - which, if you think about it, is appropriate. For six seasons we've watched one hell of a twisted play unfold before our eyes. We've rooted for the bad guy, applauded wrongdoing, cheered for recklessness, and shared laughs over how bad Vic Mackey screwed over this One-Niner or that Byz-Lat. However, as all good stories do, the time has come for The Shield to end.

On Friday, July 18th, the seventh season of Monk will premiere on the USA network. For some this is incredibly good news, particularly since the show will be celebrating its 100th episode come September. For others, season seven is three or four seasons too many. It's these people who think Adrian Monk should retire to a Feung Shui-styled, completely dust-free room to live out his remaining days lamenting about his lost love Trudy.

Fortunately, Tony Shalhoub doesn't want Monk to retire. In a recent interview the actor who plays the obsessive-compulsive Mr. Monk said that there is plenty more to explore about the character and the people around him. This is especially true thanks to the revelations of the season six finale, which opened up a whole new avenue for Monk to find the killer of his wife. That, and the introduction of a new therapist into Monk's life (due to the sudden death of Stanley Kamel), have the seventh season looking interesting.

Remember how Curb Your Enthusiasm ended last season, with Larry posed in happy, jolly family pictures with the Blacks? Did it leave you laughing and dying to know what happens next -- or is this the end?

The answer is now known. There's more Curb Your Enthusiasm on deck, because Larry David has said yes to another HBO season.

HBO announced a seventh season of Curb. It will begin airing in early 2009, giving Larry plenty of time to write the 10 episodes planned. HBO's West Coast prez Michael Lombardo characterized Larry as "excited about it" when he presented at TCA.

That characterization is in line with comments by both Richard Lewis and Jeff Garlin, semi-regular and regular, respectively, in previous months.

And Susie Essman told the New York Post that she had auctioned off a walk-on role in season seven, so it would have been very embarrassing if she didn't know that they were all coming back.

There are two things you may or may not believe about Monk. One is the fact that it is now entering its seventh season on USA Network (season premiere on Friday, July 18th). The other is that the series will be celebrating its 100th episode this year, making it the grandaddy of the 'Characters Welcome' slate of original programming on the network.

This will be an interesting season for Mr. Monk. With the death of Stanley Kamel back in April, Monk will be getting a new doctor this year in the form of Hector Elizondo. In addition to that, Monk's search for his wife's killer will intensify after a big piece of the puzzle was revealed during last season's finale. Throw in guest appearances by Robert Loggia, Brad Garrett and Eric McCormick, and this could be a big season for the show.

It's not even December, and American Idol's seventh season is still a month and a half away -- but the hype has already begun. According to an interview with Extra, the American Idol judges - Simon, Paula, and Randy -- are in agreement: This is going to be the BEST SEASON EVER!!

Last year, as you may recall, season six was often slammed by fans and critics as the WORST SEASON EVER. Who could forget Sanjaya? Oh wait, we did. His 15 minutes of fame only lasted 12.5 minutes. But for all of our Sanjaya-bashing, at least he kept things interesting in an otherwise bland and uninspiring year. Seriously, does anyone even care that Jordin Sparks just released her debut album?

The video for the new season of 24 premiered yesterday. It first aired on the bigscreens in NYC's Times Square, became available online shortly after, and aired nationally later in the evening during game two of the World Series. A lot of you have probably already seen it, but may be wondering: hey TV Squad, why are you reporting on this a day late? Well, this sat forever on the "assignment desk" and to be honest, I think we were all afraid of incurring the wrath of you readers for spoiling the fun. Well I stepped up and here's your warning: read on with caution, because after the jump there is a trailer and I do talk about the season seven plot. There. I said it.

It looks like Gilmore Girls. It certainly sounds like Gilmore Girls. And it's just as funny, fast-paced, and quirky as Gilmore Girls. This is a good start.

Every fan on the planet was worried about their favorite mother-daughter team when show creator Amy-Sheman Palladino and her husband Daniel Palladino left the show last spring in a contract dispute with Warner Brothers. Even though the new show-runner, David Rosenthal, had experience on the show, fans were worried he wouldn't be able to capture the classic Gilmore Girls "voice." Most of all, fans were also worried that season seven wouldn't strike the show's signature lightness, which even the Palladinos had trouble capturing last year.

Well, I saw the Season Seven premiere over the weekend, and I've got to tell you, GG fans, you don't have anything to worry about... at least not yet.